Double Chek: The Homestretch

(This is the latest in a series of entries by guest bloggers throughout the high school spring sports season. Sammi Nemchek is in her fourth-year as a starter on Trinity Catholic’s softball team. Her father, Mike, coached many of the city’s top players in youth leagues, including his daughter. Sammi and Mike explore the topical nature of the parent-athlete dynamic.)

By Sammi Nemchek

After almost a full week of rainouts, it was nice to finally get back out on the field again. When the weather’s poor and games are cancelled its hard to do much at indoor practices. The gym is a tight space to have softballs flying around in and sometimes I even believe it is a disadvantage.

I see it as a setback because it throws off our routine and the spring weather is half the reason softball is so enjoyable to play.

However, this past week we fit all of our games in and made up some that were previously postponed. We did not allow the weather to throw us off and we came out and played four consecutive strong games.

At the end of our last game, Coach Kriz said, “We go into next week knowing these are our seniors’ last regular season games….” The season flew by just like everyone said it would.

I am so thrilled we qualified for states and I want to succeed in them as long as possible. It was a relief we made them early enough so I didn’t have to worry about whether or not next week really would be my last or not.

Surprisingly enough, I hope our first game is an away game. Bus rides are definitely eventful; you can ask any bus driver who has ever had to deal with 20-plus girls singing on one bus.

Qualifying for FCIACs would also be quite an accomplishment to make, but right now that is uncertain. The way this season has been going, it seems like every team is pretty evenly matched and in any game anything can happen. We’ve lately had a lot of close games decided in seventh inning, and it has been really nervy knowing the game could go either way.

What I’m afraid I’ll miss most about Trinity softball is the team itself and the many different people it has brought together. It’s really nice the way we are all completely different and not best friends outside of softball, yet we all share one common interest that creates such strong friendships.

When I was younger all I can remember coaches talking about was how they did not like the “cliques” that formed on teams and how they continuously tried to break them apart. What coaches never understood was that it was impossible to break little girls up. However, this team I feel perfectly exemplifies how a team is supposed to work when there is none of the extra drama.

It is a lot easier when everyone is focusing on one goal and shares the same attitude when it comes to achieving it. It has been a pleasure to play with players who understand the meaning of “there is no I in team.”

I also again as a senior appreciate the support of our fans and especially my family. For parents and friends these last couple games are important so don’t miss them.